Tuesday, April 24, 2012

007 - Risotto allo Zafferano


The Thought!


The comeback had to be absolute.


Italian cuisine has always interested me with the sound of their names! Their cuisine is as old as 4th century and has survived multiple culture shifts and political apprehensions
Today, I start off with a conventional yet absolutely brilliant dist "The Risotto allo zafferano", Mamamia! :)






Risotto is a class of Italian dishes of rice cooked in stock to a creamy consistency. The stock used in this dish is vegetable-based. Many types of risotto contain Parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.






Ingredients



  1. 3 cups Rice - Usually, Italian prefer short rice. But to suit your patriotic Indian taste buds, you can use the common rice that is usually consumed 
  2. 1 1/2 Vegetable stock
  3. 2/3 cup (120 g) unsalted butter
  4. Mushrooms - Quite a few
  5. Onion - Finely sliced
  6. Saffron - A few thread's
  7. Parmesan cheese - 2 small blocks
  8. Coriander / Spring Onions for garnish
  9. Butter



How to Cook


1. Place the saffron threads separately in a bowl to soak with some of the vegetable stock


2. In a casserole / Cooker, simmer the finely sliced onion & mushrooms in half the butter over an extremely low flame for about 10 minutes; the onion should become translucent but not brown. Remove the onion and set them aside. 


3. Saute the rice over a moderate flame for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly let it stick and burn. In simple words, toast the rice :)


4. About a minute before the rice is done, add the first ladle of the hot stock, and once most has been absorbed, another, stirring and adding liquid until the rice is almost at the last stage.
Tip: Dont put the entire stock at one shot! One at a time would do. 


5. Stir in the saffron pistils, the remainder of the butter, half the cheese, turn of the flame, and let the risotto sit covered for a minute


6. Garnish it with Coriander or Spring onions!


And Walla! 


Che buon'idea! (What an Idea Sirji!)




Let me know how it worked out for you


Warm Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.in